Hemant Mehta is an author, blogger, and atheist activist who gained fame
for “selling his soul” on eBay. Mehta is a regular speaker at atheist
events and has sat on the boards of charitable organizations such as
the Secular Student Alliance and the Foundation Beyond Belief. He also
runs a blog on Patheos, Friendly Atheist, in which he posts multiple
times a day.

Amanda Novotny Amanda Novotny is a blogger at Godless rEvolution. She is also the South Dakota State Director for American Atheists.Amanda is a public speaker, activist, and advocate in the areas of
atheism and mental health. Amanda’s speaking engagements include the
Freedom From Religion Foundation’s National Convention, Skepticon, the
South Dakota Conference of Reason, and the Minnehaha County Democratic
Forum. Amanda has also presented at several area universities and
schools.

Dr. Hector Avalos
is Professor of Religious Studies at Iowa State University, where he
was named Professor of the Year in 1996, and a Master Teacher in
2003-04. A former fundamentalist preacher and faith healer, Dr. Avalos
is now one of the few openly atheist biblical scholars in academia.
Born in Mexico, Avalos received a B.A. in Anthropology from the
University of Arizona in 1982, and a Master of Theological Studies from
Harvard Divinity School in 1985. In 1991, he became the first Mexican
American to earn a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Near Eastern Studies at
Harvard. He is the author or editor of ten books, including The End of
Biblical Studies (2007). His more recent book is The Bad Jesus: The
Ethics of New Testament Ethics (2015).

10:50-11:40

Pallisades

Steph Montgomery

Steph Montgomery is a nonprofit and public sector professional with over 14 years of leadership primarily related to public health and improving the lives
of people living in poverty. Steph currently serves on the Board of
Secular Avenue and manages a victim advocacy program.

Michaelyn Eberhart graduated last May with a BS in behavioral neuroscience and has served as a crisis hotline counselor. She was president of the University of Kansas’ secular student group, SOMA, for 2 years and helped coordinate the annual conference, ReasonFest, for 3 years.

1:50 – 2:30

Pallisades

Sarah Morehead

Sarah Morehead joined the leadership of Recovering From Religion in 2011 as its Deputy Executive Director. At the end of 2012 she was appointed Executive Director, where she spearheads programs like the Hotline Project and creates practical support avenues for anyone reconsidering the role of
religion in their life. In April of 2014 she was recognized for her tireless efforts with the Atheist of the Year Award by American Atheists.

2:30 – 3:20

Pallisades

Debbie Goddard

Debbie Goddard is the outreach director at the Center for Inquiry Transnational in Amherst, NY. She is also the director of African Americans for
Humanism, a program of the Council for Secular Humanism.In 2002, she was profiled in a Beliefnet article, “Godless Who’s Who”,
as a student activist. She was also interviewed by the Washington
Blade, formerly one of the nation’s largest circulation LGBT
newspapers, as an “out” nonbeliever. In early 2006, Jamila Bey
interviewed Debbie for an article about African American female
atheists for the Skepchick blog.

JT Eberhard is a writer and public speaker about atheism, gay rights, and
more. He spent two and a half years with the Secular Student
Alliance as their first high school organizer. During that time
he built the SSA’s high school program and oversaw the development of
groups nationwide. JT is also the co-founder of the popular Skepticon conference and served as the events lead organizer during its first three years.

4:25 – 5:15

Pallisades

Ask an Atheist Podcast

Join us for a live recording of the Ask an Atheist podcast!For more information go toaskanatheist.tv